Redemption
by seedofsorrows
Summary: He was dead, but not his soul, he had something to do before he could go, he needed to kill those responsible for her death
1. Blonde Monster

Redemption

Chapter 1

Blonde Monster

Hello everybody, it's me, you know me, you love me, and I love you. I have to thank pudgypudge for this, just cruising through his profile when I seen this challenge, I had to, so here it is…be warned though, I might take two months on updates for all my stories from now on, _all of them,_ including this one, I hope you enjoy.

One time disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, the songs and poems are not mine, hell the idea for the story isn't even mine, but the story itself is, so there you go..

_Sometimes_

_Evil eyes_

_Are comforting…_

_Cast spells on our hearts…_

_We don't mind_

Kakashi didn't know what to make of it. It could be called, at best, a brutal murder with no evidence, or, in truth, no evidence that couldn't be bought from the higher ups in his division.

It was clear who they were. She was a fashion model, and the daughter of the richest man in Konohagakure. He was the head of a special ops team named Anbu, they were the elite of the elite, yet here he was, dead. It was no secret that they had been together, in fact, the ring on her finger showed what was to be planned three days from now.

They had been crucified. She had several stab wounds all over her body, but the cause of death was the large gash, caused by a kunai, that stretched from her left earlobe to her right. His death seemed so much quicker, a large hole in the chest cavity, Kakashi recognized the technique. He had taught it to the one that was responsible, but what could he do, he had no real power any more, he was just a beat cop. He'd gotten too involved with cases like these, was too focused, so his boss decided that he should be put back on the streets before he started talking. Hopefully the escalating crime rate would pick him off, it hadn't yet. By the way his body sat, they had tortured her in front of him, killing her slowly, the way his body was slumped shown defeat. All it took after that was a gallon of kerosene and a match, and then both of them were up in flames. He wondered if he had died before or after his flesh started burning.

He sighed, he had more important things to do, he needed to call this in; he reached for his radio, wondering what had happened…

* * *

Twelve Hours Before…

"Come on…if you don't tell him, then nothing will be done." He said as he looked into her eyes, the opalescent orbs reflecting in the deep pools of blue.

"I don't want to stress Father any more than he already is, with what's happening Sunday," she replied, sheepishly looking down at her feet.

"Hinata." He said, his finger lifting her chin, making her resume eye contact. "He won't stop following you unless you tell Father."

"Maybe he just needs a little more time to get over it." She said, showing a little discomfort that the man so close to her had implied that her father was now his too. The idea was just too new to her.

The man sighed, "He's had two years now, he doesn't want to get over it." He kissed her lightly, "If you won't do it for you, do it for me, it makes me uncomfortable to watch him stalk you."

She looked down. "Tomorrow, I'll tell him tomorrow over brunch, let's talk about something better. Hey! Play your new song again."

He smiled and turned to a cabinet by the television in their apartment. He pulled out a guitar and plugged his amp into it.

He strummed a couple times to make sure it was tuned; then began.

_You're clear to me_

_Despite my blurry vision_

_It's another night_

_Of sleeping with the lights low…_

A loud crash filled the air. He felt a searing pain and saw a blinding flash of white light. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was her screaming.

* * *

He woke up in pain.

His ankles and wrists hurt, he opened his eyes and turned to the left. His eyes widened in horror.

Hinata was crucified beside him.

She was awake and aware, he could tell, she was silently crying, and she was praying.

_If it never worked before, oh god please let it work now._ He pleaded with the air, he knew he was about to die, but Hinata didn't deserve it, she had done nothing wrong.

It was only after coming to grips with his demise that he realized he was also crucified, no crosses, but they were nailed to and old part of the dock that the water never rose to touch anymore, not after the damming of the river.

With a touch of cold irony, he realized that it was this place that had caused all his problems. He had fell in love with her here, this is where she told him her feelings, and also where she had cut it off with her last boyfriend, also this is where he had proposed, it was fitting that he would die here.

But not her…never her.

"Finally awake, are you Naruto? Good, I wanted you to watch this." someone said, he turned to see a masked man leaning against a pole to his right, the man slowly sat up and walked towards Hinata.

"Just kill me," he said, "It's what you want isn't it? Take her down and take your time on me. I won't fight if you let her live."

In response the man pulled out a kunai, a knife commonly used in this area for its cutting ability and its great accuracy when thrown. The man smiled and made an incision from her belly button to the inside of her thigh. She whimpered as the blade parted the flawless pale skin, large tears of blood welling from the cut and sliding down her leg.

Naruto gave a strangled cry and pulled at the railroad ties that had been sharpened and forced through his arm, serving to anchor him to the pole.

"YOU BASTARD! TOUCH HER AGAIN AND I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU; THEN I'LL BRING YOU BACK SO I CAN KILL YOU AGAIN!!!" Naruto screamed at him.

The man pulled off his mask, revealing coal black eyes and hair of the same shade, he was staring into the face of his childhood friend, Hinata's stalker ex-boyfriend, and poster boy of the kingpin, Sasuke Uchiha.

"I don't think you've got the balls _Naruto-kun_. You couldn't kill me back then, when it would have been a good idea, and you can't kill me now, even if I fucking slaughter this bitch in front of you."

Naruto growled and pulled at his restraints again. "I bet that's the plan, huh, hurt her to get information from me?" he pulled for a few minutes before hanging there limply, his wrists and ankles bleeding heavily. It was a few moments before he spoke again. "Tell you what; let her down and I'll tell you everything your boss wants to know."

Sasuke let out a booming laugh, high and cold. "Do you really think Orochimaru-sama put me up to this? No; I'm doing this because I want to see you and the bitch dead."

Naruto's eyes widened. "N-no…You mean…"

Sasuke grinned as he stuck the knife deep into her leg. Hinata screamed in pain.

Sasuke pulled the knife out and stabbed her again.

…and again.

…and again.

Her screams filled the air, yet she didn't beg, tears flowed almost as fast as her blood, but she kept her eyes locked on Sasuke, staring him down. He lost his grin; it was replaced with a snarl of hatred. Sasuke stooped, glaring at his captives.

Naruto had eyes for Hinata alone, and she had eyes for him. Both knew that death was fast approaching; Hinata's eyes told her deep sadness at their fate. But Naruto was broken.

He could take torture, he was trained for it. But to watch his soon to be wife stabbed repeatedly had taken its toll. He could bear his own pain, his own death, but not hers…

"I think it's time I finish her off Naruto, and then after her, I'll kill you, but yours will be quick, I got a kick out of watching you suffer, so I'll be merciful." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Please…" Naruto said; his head hanging. "Just kill me and let her live, please…"

Sasuke's grin widened as he placed the blade under her ear; with one swift motion he sliced her from ear to ear, laughing hysterically as she choked on her own blood.

Naruto stared, horrorstruck.

"NOOOOO!!!!!!"

She gave a weak smile as her eyes started to fade, she stared directly at Naruto and with her last breath, in a rasping whisper, she spoke.

"Naruto…I love you…" and then her body went limp.

Naruto's eyes clouded over. He stared at her body as it was doused in kerosene. He felt as well as heard it, the crackling and chirping of the Chidori. But he didn't feel it enter, he couldn't remove his eyes from her. As his body caught fire due to the electricity, he snapped back into reality, his chest felt heavy, his vision was dimming…

His body was burning.

* * *

The ambulance pulled up, along with a black limousine and a news van. Four police cars blocked the way onto the beach. The ambulance was allowed to pass through, and the people in the limo were as well. The camera crew was not allowed onto the scene.

Kakashi stood by his friend as the man cried.

"I can't tell you it's going to be all right Hiashi…I never could, but I can tell you this, they're in a better place now, that's all we can hope for."

He knelt by Hiashi as the man stared in shock at the corpse of his daughter and his soon to be son-in-law.

"It shouldn't be like this Kakashi…It shouldn't happen," he looked up at his friend. "Why my family?"

Kakashi's visible features hardened. "Who knows what twisted scheme the kingpin had behind this, but I will do everything within my power to bring him to justice, I _will _find him, and I'll make sure to bring his pet Sasuke with him as well."

"Thank you Kakashi…" Hiashi said through his hacking sobs…the man was deathly ill, and had been for a long time; cancer was slowly taking hold of his body. The duty of running his family had been given to his daughter, who was advised by her cousin, Neji.

Neji had been missing for almost three weeks, and now Hinata was gone.

Kakashi turned to look at the young girl standing beside Hiashi as the man's sobs turned into a violent cough. The girl was only fourteen, five years younger than her sister. It was up to her now.

He turned and signaled the EMT's to retrieve the bodies; then turned and helped Hiashi stand so that the man could get back to his car. Hanabi walked steadily beside her father, not a tear on her face. Kakashi understood, the tears would come later. he had taught Naruto when he was younger, and had watched him grow up, he felt this at a personal level as well, the boy he had high hopes for was now dead by the person he valued most as a brother.

Little known to the city of Konohagakure, a war was being fought. On one side, the Hokage, a powerful official in charge of the military, along with her servants, the Anbu and a large portion of the police force. On the other, a group known as Akatsuki had hundreds of specially trained operatives. Then, in the shadow of that war, lay another, a man known only as the kingpin and a very powerful official unknown and their group, they sought to destroy both of the other groups and gain complete control of the city.

Naruto was one of the highest ranked officials on the Hokage's side, and he had trained under Kakashi by the Hokage's order, he had two teammate's, one being Sasuke.

Naruto and Sasuke pushed each other to new heights, both trying their hardest to surpass the other, and neither ever succeeding, until…

The kingpin had given Sasuke an offer he couldn't refuse, and now he was the biggest threat to the Hokage and her subjects.

Kakashi watched Hiashi leave. Already planning his verbal report to the Hokage, along with warning the operatives in the police force, or _Shinobi,_ ninja, as they liked to be referred as; he took a moment to think about where his fellow operatives would be at this time, and then took off in the most likely direction, he didn't have a lot of time.

Akatsuki might already have gotten wind of this and would be preparing a strike. He could not let that happen.

* * *

A bird, a crow hovered over the streets, following an object, an ambulance, it waited until the vehicle stopped before perching on the back hatch and cawing huskily.

The ambulance made its way slowly to the closest police operation's facility. There were only two EMT's and their cargo happened to be dead bodies, charred dead bodies, so the cab was closed off, both medical techs in the cab, paying no attention to the bodies in the back.

The bags were side by side, zipper up. The left bag was larger than the right, and seemed to be rocking to a different motion than that of the vehicle.

The zipper burst and a charred head lifted itself out, sparkling blue eyes scanning the area. With a little effort, it managed to extricate itself from the bag and open the doors, lightly jumping out.

The ambulance kept its speed without realizing it had lost half of its cargo.

In a subway bathroom not far from its escape, the being stood in front of a mirror, looking at his charred body with wide eyes. Angrily, he began peeling at his face until the charred flesh was gone. Staring back at him was his face, only what used to be whisker marks had now become scars. It began as one scar cutting through his eye, then curving at the base of his nose, splitting into three separate scars. The same mark was mirrored on the other side of his face. His hair had blackened, falling down to his chin at its longest point. He was pale, not his normal golden tan.

Only one thought ran through his mind.

_Revenge…_

A bird landed beside him, carrying a key in its beak. The man took it.

His body burned as he saw flashes of his memory flying through his mind, all of one woman.

"Hinata!" he cried as he fell to his knees.

The crow cawed.

Naruto looked at the key he held in his hand, it was her house key.

His hand curled into a fist around the key.

Everyone involved in her murder would soon be regretting every waking moment of their lives.

He had the means, he had the will, he had the desire, he was a monster.

And they would all pay…

* * *

Well, not bad if I say so myself, this is about the average for how long these chapters are going to be, and I'm not sure how many there will be.

Info for later: the song played and the poem at the beginning are off the album Great White Whale by Secret and Whisper, the poem's name is blonde monster, and look for the name of the other song in the next chapter.

For now that's all. Read and review

PEACE!!


	2. You Are Familliar

Naruto: Redemption

Chapter 2

You Are Familiar

OK, here we go on another ride into this little wonderland, don't worry, I'll get you back up the rabbit hole when it's all over Alice…sorry, that was a little creepy, and ominous, you can't help but shiver when you read that, yet laugh at it at the same time…where was I, oh yes! Enjoy chapter two everybody!

_You're clear to me_

_Despite my blurry vision…_

_It's another night_

_Of sleeping with the lights low_

"You are Familiar…In ways that I'm looking for" Naruto said as he opened the door to his apartment.

He needed to grab some things quickly, before the _Shinobi _arrived, he had served the Hokage, and Akatsuki would want his things, his allies couldn't let that happen, and would destroy his things, either that or they would have buried them with him, but now there wasn't a body to bury.

He touched her coat, which she had left on the island in the kitchen after their little discussion. And the next thing he knew, he was on the floor.

_Images shot through his mind like lightning, she had seen her father talking with a man, he was a little shorter than Hiashi, he had long dark hair that hung down over his face, and on his right hand was a ring with a large red stone. Hiashi shook his head at something the man had said, she couldn't hear it, but her father looked disgruntled; reluctantly, he pulled a small manila envelope and handed it to the man._

Naruto gasped, he was seeing Hinata's memories, or at least bits of them. He grasped his head in both hands and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling sick.

_The man opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of pictures. He flicked through them once and nodded. He slipped the envelope in his pocket and handed Hiashi a stack of bills. The man turned and opened the door of a black BMW; she got a glimpse of the license plate as the car turned away, UD8 661._

He sat up and gasped, panting he ran and scribbled the number in a small notepad beside the desk in his study.

He grabbed his laptop and made for the door; he got about halfway when his foot nudged something, he looked down to see his guitar.

It was the one he had found years ago. He had been walking by a pawn shop hen he seen the owner set it in the window. It wasn't anywhere near new, but it was a beautiful guitar, he went in and bought it, and then took it home and plugged it into a small 10 watt amp.

The guitar was a gloss black Ibanez, he never looked up the model, he didn't need to, from the moment he strummed it, even though it was out of tune, he knew it would be a stretch to ever use another guitar.

He picked it up and put it in its bag; rushed to the door, then rushed back to grab the 5 watt amp that he strapped to his leg when he wanted to walk around and play.

He was walking to the door when he heard footsteps outside in the hall. He shot back into his bedroom and closed the door to all but a crack, so he could see.

The front door opened and in walked a girl that looked almost like Hinata did when she was a girl. Naruto narrowed his eyes, what was Hanabi doing out here.

She didn't even look his way. He was supposed to be dead, and so was her sister, who else would have a key to the apartment. She strode into the living room with a purpose, her eyes never leaving an object sitting on the entertainment center.

She picked up a picture in an ornate silver frame. There were five people in the picture, Hanabi, Neji, Hiashi, Hinata and Naruto. It was taken the year before, in the Swiss Alps.

Hiashi had made Hinata go, to take a break from the family business, she had made Naruto go, who in turn made Neji go, and then somehow, Hanabi had gotten dragged into it as well, and Hanabi made Hiashi go, the girl had a fiery temper and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

Hanabi stood in between Hinata and Naruto, who had his arm slung around Neji, Hiashi was on Hinata's other side, and that was the first time he had smiled since he had been diagnosed with cancer almost a year before.

Neji had an annoyed look on his face, but he had a gleam in his eyes, Hinata was all smiles, Naruto had his carefree smile plastered on, Hanabi was giggling madly, mainly because Neji was poking her in the ribs because she didn't want to smile.

"Why did it happen sis?" Hanabi asked the picture, her voice cracking as she tried to hold in a sob. "You and Naruto were supposed to be there forever. Why did you leave?"

The girl sat down on the couch and curled up with the picture clutched to her chest. She was sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't even notice when Naruto opened the door and sat down beside her.

"Shh, it's okay now, it'll be all right." He said, stroking her hair as she cried.

She shot up and backed against the wall; she had pulled a small can of mace from her pocket and was pointing it at him. "W-Who are you, what are you doing in my sister's house?" she said, a fearful look in her eyes."

He raised his hands, "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm a…a friend. I'm trying to find the guy that killed Hinata. I promise I won't hurt you."

Hanabi kept the can aimed directly at him. "What makes you think I'm going to believe that? I should call the cops. What can you say to make me believe you're a friend? You know, you probably came here to bum money off of Naruto, I know your type. People like you make me sick…"

"Honestly Hanabi, you are just like a box of firecrackers, one spark and you go off." Naruto said with a sad smile.

Hanabi dropped the can. "N-No, it can't be, but you're dead, I watched them take your body off the pier, is it really you…Naruto?"

"Only three people ever said that, Neji didn't have the balls, but I think he could have got away with it if he did, only Hinata, Father and I ever said that." Naruto replied.

Hanabi was suddenly running, she threw herself around him and started sobbing. "I d-don't know w-what to do now, sh-she's gone and, and…"

"It's okay now Hanabi, I'll find out what all this is about, they are all going to pay, I promise, and I don't go back on my word."

"I know…I should tell Father. He will want to see you. Maybe he can help."

Naruto shook his head, "No, no one else must know I'm alive. But you can do something for me, I need you to get a message to Kakashi, can you do that?"

Hanabi nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Okay, I need you to tell him the name of the Kingpin, I know it."

"Who is it?"

Naruto looked her dead in the eye. "It's Orochimaru-sama."

Hanabi's eyes widened. "Are you positive, he's one of Father's biggest partners?"

"I heard this directly from Sasuke." Naruto said.

The sound of car doors shutting came from the open window; followed by the sound of people coming up the stairs.

"Remember Hanabi." Naruto said.

"I will." She replied, looking toward the door.

When she turned back, Naruto was gone.

* * *

Hanabi turned to the door as six people slipped in. she knew all of them, her father supported the Hokage, and Hinata and Naruto were part of the _Shinobi_ that guarded the city against Akatsuki, the people in the room with her had received their training with them, and Sasuke as well.

"Hanabi? What are you doing here?" Said the girl at the head of the group; she had bright pink hair and had a commanding air around her. With her was a large man with swirl tattoos on his face, a very beautiful blond woman, a man with his hair in a spiked ponytail smoking a cigarette, there was also a man with red face paint on, and a man wearing darkened ski goggles and a hood.

"Sakura, I-I came up here to get something…I-I need to speak to Kakashi-sama immediately."

"You've been crying." The blond girl stated with an empathetic look in her eyes.

Hanabi furiously wiped her face. "That doesn't matter; I need to see him, _now_."

Sakura smiled, "It's okay Hanabi, he'll find whoever did this and…"

"It's not that!" Hanabi cut in, desperately trying to get her point across. "N…A man was just here, he gave me information that Kakashi needs to hear, it's about the Kingpin, I know who he is!"

All six of them looked at each other; Sakura turned her gaze back to Hanabi.

"Come with me. We're going to Kakashi…And Hokage-sama."

* * *

Two men stepped out of a black BMW in the street five minutes later. One was a bear of a man, and he carried a large object wrapped in pure white cloth. He had a shark like grin plastered on his face, and his teeth were all filed to points. The other was an average size man with long black hair. He had a mature look around him, and an air of command. His eyes were coal black, and cold.

"They were here before us Kisame." He said in an offhand tone. "All of _Naruto-san's _equipment is gone…Leader will not be pleased."

"Did you not expect this Itachi? I mean, this is the _Shinobi _we're talking about; the Hokage has them in every division, in every nook and cranny. I wouldn't be surprised if there were several living next door to any one of us." Kisame said with a chuckle.

The man known as Itachi gave a sidelong glance at his partner before turning to scrutinize the building across the street. "I want to know who Naruto-kun's allies are. I want all of them in my grasp; but again we arrive at the scene much too late to salvage anything…"

He turned and opened the driver's side door of the car, halfway in he paused and turned his gaze at Kisame.

"Tell Zetsu that he had better start getting this information to us faster or he will answer to me." With that the door shut and the BMW sped away, the light above the license plate illuminating the number UD8 661.

Kisame stared at the taillights with a shaky grin; sweat beading on his forehead. He did not want to be on the receiving end of Itachi's anger, when he deemed to let it show. Of course, they had been hunting Naruto for ten years, and in one night, their hopes had been squashed.

Zetsu had better get his act together; an angry Itachi was not what the Akatsuki needed.

* * *

The ambulance pulled into the dock at the Konohagakure Medical Center. Usually the cargo from this kind of run would be taken directly to the morgue, but the EMT's had been able to get it transferred here; there was someone who had to see these bodies.

A lone woman came out of the doors to receive the report. She was of average height, light blond hair; her most noticeable feature was her large bosom, and a small red diamond on her forehead. Her eyes scanned the sheet sadly; two dead, one tortured and then burned, the other killed by way of a large opening in the left breast, and then burned while dying, a man and woman, both age twenty three…

Tsunade sighed as she read the report. Naruto had been like a grandson to her, and she had been anticipating the upcoming marriage, of course there was also the fact that two of her best _Shinobi_ were now dead and charred in the back of the ambulance she stood in front of. A note found at the foot of Naruto's corpse, no signature, just a small poem

_Some vanishings are conjured mysteries_

_They disappear inside of mist and breeze_

_If I lost you I swear I meant_

_To give you a second chance_

She squeezed her eyes shut. That was a song, a song Naruto had wrote several years before, about a close friend who had betrayed him. Sasuke Uchiha had been a brother to him, and Sasuke's lust for power had given Naruto what was very close to the same wound he had died from. Circles within circles.

"Lady Tsunade, I think we had best get the bodies into the building." Came the voice from her assistant Shizune, a comforting hand pressed lightly on her shoulder.

Tsunade nodded and walked to the rear of the ambulance, she pulled the lever and pulled open both doors.

"Shizune! We have a big problem!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"What? What's wrong?" Shizune questioned as she approached at a run.

The Hokage turned to her assistant. "One of the bodies is missing."

* * *

And here we are; the second chapter of Redemption. I do apologize if it is taking a long time to write, but inspiration has been slow to show really.

Info for later: yes the song played in the last chapter is titled You Are Familiar, by Secret and Whisper, there is a trend with the story so far, I want to see who can pick it up…

Well any who, till next time

PEACE!!


	3. Vanishings

Naruto: Redemption

Chapter 3

Vanishings

_Some vanishings_

_Are conjured mysteries_

_They disappear inside of mist breeze_

_If I lost you I swear I meant_

_To give you a second chance_

"We will go, where no one ever knows, and we will never have to play the part of a feared in the dark." Tsunade muttered as she walked to her office at the back of the clinic. She was tired, and she needed the comfort of a small bottle stashed under her desk.

She had ordered every _shinobi _under her command to sweep the city, there had been over a hundred phone calls out of the clinic in less than half an hour, and she wasn't sure if the Kingpin or Akatsuki were monitoring any of those phones; but the risk was worth it. Naruto was her most talented agent, and the things that either party could learn from his body could jeopardize the war.

She had just sat down when there was a knock at her door. She sighed; who could be bothering her at this hour? "Who is it?"

"It's me Sensei, someone is here to see you." came Sakura's voice from the other side of the door.

Tsunade was on alert, Sakura had headed the team to sweep Naruto's apartment, why was she here at the clinic at all, and who could she have with her? "Sakura, status report?"

Sakura paused. "The bathrooms are clean, and I found a mouse on one of the traps. A small white one."

Tsunade relaxed "Bring in the Hyuga, and where are the others?"

"They're covering the lobby, if anyone enters, I'll know it." Sakura said as she opened the door escorting Hanabi.

"Good, now, why is she here?" Tsunade asked, staring at the girl crossly.

"She says she has valuable information for the Hokage."

"What? Damn it Sakura! You know as well as I that the more people know who I am, the easier it is to bring our whole operation down! We need to be careful!"

"She says she knows who the Kingpin is, Tsunade-sama." Sakura stated rather bluntly.

"Bullshit." Tsunade retorted, "No one who's not in the kingpin's organization know who he is, and even most of them don't. Who told her?"

Both women turned their eyes to Hanabi, who looked like a cornered rabbit.

"It was Naru-Naruto's contact, or at least one of them." she said quietly, then locked eyes with the busty blond in front of her "Do you want to know what he said or not?"

"Of course, I do, but how do I know if this information is correct?

"He said he was there when Naruto died…He says that Sasuke's working for the Kingpin."

"Isn't he working for your father's company?"

Hanabi nodded "Yes, he's signed with my father's record company, I was there when he was hired, Father's partner hired him to work alongside Neji…"

"Orochimaru!" Tsunade exclaimed.

Orochimaru had been her teammate long ago, before Akatsuki had established itself in Konohagakure, he had retired and taught at the University for several years, before investing in Hyuga Corp. the largest company in Konoha, whose products ranged from microwaves and CD's to advanced weaponry. If he was behind this, then he had been planning to strike for well over a decade, when their Sensei was Hokage; and if he was the Kingpin, then the whole entirety of the continuing war was his doing. Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she replayed the last eight years in her head

Akatsuki had just invaded the city with funding toward extreme black market trading. The Hokage and her military personnel were combating this spread of crime diligently. The _Shinobi _and their leader did not amount to an extremely large force, numbering around two hundred altogether, even if they were all handpicked from elite military groups beforehand, or drafted straight out of advanced military training. They were good, but they were combating an organization with no names, no ties to the city at all, and their operatives numbered in the thousands.

Sasuke Uchiha was one of the few picked straight from an AMT program that didn't legally exist. It's students were the best of the best, and when their training was over, the graduates went on to leading the military forces of over twenty countries, or set into three man squads and hired out to do impossible jobs that the larger countries didn't want their own operatives to handle, or die trying. In twenty years, only four teams from that program had ever failed a mission, Tsunade's team, and Sasuke's were among them.

When Akatsuki began to move their business into Konohagakure, Tsunade had been desperate. She had contacted that facility and recruited the best team she could find. There was a team of orphans, all three, who had scored above every team the program had ever seen, these three operatives, at the young age of fifteen, were prodigies, able to complete missions that battle hardened veteran's a decade older had failed. Team 101-992-07, or Team 7, were perfect soldiers.

Sasuke Uchiha was the team captain, expert in assassination and reconnaissance, beyond superb in every martial art taught at the AMT program, and specialized in most automatic firearms; Naruto Uzumaki was a god in the demolition world, as well as a master of over twenty different martial arts, a knife expert, and he had never missed any shot, with any rifle ever placed in his hands; And lastly, Sakura Haruno, excelled at hand to hand combat, had 100% accuracy with submachine guns, and was the best field medic in military history. She even got a bonus, the program was getting ready to retire their best teacher, and the teacher of her new team, so she was able to get Kakashi Hatake himself, in the world of the ninja, he was referred to as the best assassin in the last thousand years.

The four new operatives played their role brilliantly, crippling half the Akatsuki's shipping industry within a year.

Then everything went sour. Sasuke had led the charge into an Akatsuki safe-house, but instead of seizing the shipment, he had a third party there, ready to take it. The whole operation went under, and the resulting gunfight left ten _Shinobi _dead and two on death's door.

Around that time, Sasuke found a talent, and through a sponsorship contract, became Konoha's shining star, an Idol of the people. Sasuke Uchiha had, now apparently with the help of the kingpin, made himself invulnerable…as a pop star.

Tsunade had believed that Orochimaru had no idea that Sasuke was working for the kingpin when he sponsored that first album as a partner of Hyuga Corp., but now she saw what he had done. He had made his right hand man publicly known, so any attempts on him would be a fool's errand, and Sasuke could handle his affairs while he remained in shadow.

"So Orochimaru is the Kingpin huh?" She growled, "Sakura!"

"Hai Lady Hokage?"

"Assemble the _Shinobi_, all of them, we meet at the Tower at 08:00 hours."

"Hai!" Sakura said as she turned an exited the room. Her team had a lot of work to do in a few hours.

Tsunade turned to Hanabi. "Thank you for your help Hanabi. If what you say is true, then we are facing a man who knows everything about our operation. If there is anything else you know, if it can help us, I would ask you to share this information with us."

Hanabi hesitated, should she reveal the truth about Naruto? She shook her head. "No Hokage-sama, but I want to help you, Sister would have wanted it. I want to join your ranks."

Tsunade looked at the young girl in front of her. "Anything you say beyond this point will decide your future. Do you wish to accept the mantle of _shinobi_? Do you wish to hide in darkness and become one of the nameless? Are you willing to give your life to Konohagakure and the Hokage?" her questions were asked to every new recruit. It was the first step in initiation into the dark world of the ninja.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Hanabi said, her voice never faltering. "I accept the mantle of _shinobi, _I erase my name and make my home in the darkness. My life belongs to Konohagakure and my Hokage." that was the oath of the _shinobi._

Tsunade nodded, she pulled a single kunai from her jacket and handed it to Hanabi. "Mark your arm with the Leaf and wear it proud, honorable _shinobi._"

Hanabi cut the mark of the Hokage into her shoulder, like her sister had done, once she had finished, Tsunade pulled a jar from her desk. Inside the jar was a salve, used by every Hokage before her to rub into the cut, staining it black, effectively tattooing the mark into the _shinobi's _skin.

"With the burn of this salve, your mark will blacken, this mark will never fade, and with it, you are now under the protection of the Hokage. Go now, and join your family in the night." Tsunade finished.

Hanabi didn't flinch as the salve was rubbed onto her mark. It hurt like hell, but in the end it was worth it. "Your orders, Hokage-sama?"

"You will accompany me to the Tower. I take it Naruto and Hinata trained you in hand-to-hand combat?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Naruto also taught me how to use a knife in case it was necessary to defend myself." she replied.

"Good, keep that kunai, you will be my guard, along with Shizune. After tonight I will put you into training, now let's get Shizune and introduce you to your new family." Tsunade said with a smile.

Hanabi nodded and followed her leader out of the clinic.

* * *

Naruto walked into the southern precinct like he owned the place. No one was here; the only officer that even used this building was the man he was here to see. He walked to the holding cells and back to the last one. The cell was nothing much to look at, a bench/bed bolted onto the wall, a small sink and a toilet with a hinged upper lid, he walked in and lifted the upper lid, revealing a palm scanner.

The scanner ran his hand and the wall with the bed began to rise, revealing a large weapons room with a desk and just the man he was looking for.

"Kakashi-sensei." he said nonchalantly at the man, who had his back facing him, staring at a picture in his hand.

The man jumped up and spun around, hand reaching for his pistol. He dropped it on the floor at the sight of Naruto.

"You! You're dead, I pulled you off the dock myself." he said, hands shaking.

"Hai sensei, Naruto is dead." Naruto said sadly. "But I'm here because I have a mission, and I will need your help."

"What mission? Of course I'll help!" Kakashi said, walking toward his deceased student. "But you were dead! How?"

Naruto sighed, "I don't know sensei." he said "I remember being burned, I remember the chidori, and then black, Next thing I know I'm in a bag in the back of an ambulance, now this."

"And your mission?" Kakashi asked.

"Kill all those involved with Hinata's murder, Sasuke, the Kingpin, Akatsuki… everyone." Naruto said, his eyes burning.

"The Kingpin? No one knows who he is!" Kakashi said.

"I do," Naruto replied. "The Kingpin is Orochimaru. Sasuke is his little pet."

"Orochimaru!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama knows, but she cannot know about me, if she does, then Akatsuki will find out, and so will Orochimaru. I can't risk being any more open. But I need your help." Naruto said.

"Of course, what do you need?" Kakashi answered without hesitation.

"I need you to pull up the registration of a black BMW, license plate number UD8 661."

Kakashi walked over to his computer and keyed in the number. After a minute a profile popped up on screen.

"Kisame Hoshigaki." Kakashi began, "Residence, 2098 Dogwood Road… that's in Northern Konoha, an estate."

"Orochimaru's old estate." Naruto growled, "Let me guess, he's been at residence there for eight years."

Kakashi nodded. Naruto's eyes narrowed, he had never seen this man before, and it wasn't the one he's seen in that memory.

"He's Akatsuki… bring up a list of any co-workers or acquaintances." Naruto said, his eyes boring into the screen.

Kakashi tapped a few keys and a list of pictures replaced the man, Naruto scanned each and every one, and then…

"There!" he said "Sixth one down, bring it up." Kakashi clicked on the picture and a profile popped up.

"Itachi Uchiha…" Kakashi breathed.

"Sasuke's older brother." Naruto growled. "I want his information. I need to know."

* * *

And three is all wrapped up, Hanabi's now a ninja, mwahaha. Sasuke's brother enters into the plot too. What does the future hold, you'll find out next time! Any questions or comments…the button is below!


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